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As I am planning out a new project, there are two types of software that I use alot, along with my notepad if I am in an area like are bedroom where my laptop is not allowed.

The software I use is Mindjet Mind Manager X5, and Microsoft Project, however there are open source software out there you can get for free that provides the same functionality.  When we started laying out the training for Product Creation Lab, we knew these to pieces of software were very important to our product development lifecycle, but figured we needed to find a free alternative for those you just starting out that couldn’t afford to pay for what we are using.

For the replacement for Microsoft Project, I found ]project-open[, a java-based open source solution.  It even supports the Microsoft Project files so you can exchange files with other people such as your outsourcing group that uses Project.  You can download a copy here: http://www.project-open.org/download/index.html

For mindmapping, the open source version we found is called Free Mind.  While it may not have all the bells and whistles of Mind Jet, it still has a great basis to provide you a rock solid mind mapping tool for free.  When your looking at your project in a mind map, or using the software to brainstorm, it gives you a totally different perspective than you had before.  You can get your copy here: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

I’ll try to put togethor some videos while we are in Vegas on how to use the software, and maybe some sample project pplan and mindmaps for you to download.

UPDATE: Here is another Project Management Suite I have been using.  I thought the link above was this one, but it seems they are different. LINK–> http://openproj.org/openproj

 

Kevin